Claudia Schiffer's cubby-style bookshelves offer a unique twist on last year's biggest design movement – it keeps the look alive for 2025

A well-styled bookshelf is a focal point of any space. Whether you have built-in wood shelves or white floating shelves, thoughtfully accessorizing these storage units is a fantastic way to add personality to a living room or den. This ideology was all the rage last year (with the emergence of the bookshelf wealth trend), but Claudia Schiffer has kept the look alive – with a twist.

The model recently shared her 'favorite places to read' around her house, and we couldn't help but notice her chic cubby-inspired layout in the backdrop. Her wooden shelves are built as neat rows, with wide units that allow for books to be arranged both horizontally and vertically. Accessories are also tastefully placed throughout, giving us some bookshelf ideas.

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According to experts, bookshelf styling is an individual practice; however, there are some general tips and tricks you can implement into a cubby-style shelving unit like Claudia's.

'Styling a bookcase comes down to your own personal style,' says Bo Hellberg, CMO at String Furniture. 'With open shelving, some people prefer a mix of different items, whereas others prefer a more uniform style where everything matches perfectly. Both work well on open shelving as they provide a neutral base for people to play with. Experiment with your style, and don’t overwhelm the shelves. At String, we celebrate individual journeys, and we believe that our shelves should be a reflection of our personalities and exhibit the objects that we have collected throughout our lives.'

Allowing items to breathe is definitely something Claudia does well, with space around books and between objects, giving the shelves a gallery-like feel.

Bo says that he is intentional with decorating his own shelves, and suggests others do the same through organizing your bookshelf by color or matching materials. 'When it comes to styling my own shelves, I have found that selecting just a few beautiful pieces to display can make the most decorative impact and be the most sentimental,' he explains. 'Coordinating different colors on your shelves is another simple and effortless way of making these pieces stand out and decoratively tie a room together. Many forget that storage can be part of the interior design scheme and by displaying and styling our objects on our bookshelves, we can merge function with decoration. Whether you’re looking for a smaller, more subtle solution or a larger, open plan combination, String’s range of storage configurations gives you endless possibilities so that you can curate your own style wherever you are.'

We can see that white is a prevalent color in Claudia's shelves, which serves in contrast to the dark wood base.

Whether you attempt color coordination or mix and match books and accessories, cubby-style shelves are fantastic options for those who want to create a storage unit that is as much about the organization as it is the optimal display.